A dedicated Diablo 4 player has done what many would not dare: farm Belial nearly 300 times and record every drop. The resulting loot analysis has gone viral on Reddit, and it has raised an intense discussion about the game’s grind, reward structure, and overall balance in Season 9.
In a post titled “Belial Loot Analysis after 284 Kills – Some Findings and Feedback“, Reddit user CulturalNinja6 compiled drop data after slaying Belial 284 times. The findings? While 1 and 2 Greater Affix (GA) items are reasonably farmable, 3 and 4 GA drops are so rare they might as well not exist.
What the Numbers Show
From the 284 kills, here are some takeaways:
- 1-2 Greater Affixes are farmable, although you do need patience if you aim for the best rolls.
- 3-4 Great Affixes do not seem worth farming. He got on 4 GA in 284 kills, and it was a bad roll. It is definitely not worth the grind.
- Mythics seems to drop more often than 3+ GA unique items, which is a weird balance.
This harsh loot curve has left many players asking the same question: Why bother?
Community Reaction: “Staggeringly Poor“
The thread quickly filled with frustrated comments from fellow players who feel the drop system is overly stingy, especially given the time investment. Some are now questioning if the grind for high-end loot is even worth it.
“Expecting to get a 3 or 4 GA on a good item is NOT realistic,” one player commented.
“I find boss farming too tedious. I know I won’t get anything anyway, so why bother?” another added.
Others pointed out that unless you are buying duped husk stacks or trading nonstop, the organic grind is borderline impossible. Between the effort required for lair materials and the randomness of stats, farming for perfect 3-4 GA gear could take thousands of kills.
Game Design or Gatekeeping?
Several players argued that the loot balance is tipped too heavily toward elite grinders and traders, leaving casual and mid-core players with little sense of progression. Even some Mythic items, once the rarest of treasures, are starting to feel more common than decent 3 GA uniques.
“Half the skills are useless without these uniques,” one comment noted. “So locking them behind 1,000+ kills just kills build diversity.”
Players are not frustrated because loot is rare, but because good loot is. Loosen loot restrictions, so players can fully build a character within one season, would definitely be a welcome change.
For now, many do not see the point in grinding bosses for hours for a single 3+ Greater Affixes item drop.